Sidney h



(No Model.)

7 S. H. SHORT. TROLLEY FOR ELEGTRIG RAILWAYS.

Patented Aug. 11, 1891. v

lwi/tmeooeo I [M g V tivity impaired by and which will also be durable, economical,

ATENT' M SIDNEY H. SHORT, OF CLEVELAND ELECTRIC RAILWAY CO onto, AssIeNoR TO THE, SHORT 1 MPANX, 0 SAME PLACE.

TROLLEY FOR ELECTRlC RAlLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,377, dated August 11, 1891.

Application filed November 6, 1889. Serial No. 329,463. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY H. SHORT, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolleys for Electric -Railways; and-I do hereby declare the-following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in trolleys for electric railways, the object being to provide atrolley of such construction that it shall insure an extended contact-surface with the conductor through which the electric current is transmitted to the motor, and which contact shall be self-adjustable to compensate for wear and readily renewable when unduly worn.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

A further object of vide a wearing surface or contact whichis not liable to become rusted and have its conducexposure to the weather and efiective inmaintaining an appropriate electric contact. To this end use is made for the contact of carbon, a non-metallic conduct-- ing material which does not rust and which is found to .besufficiently durable and con: ductive for the purpose under the conditions existing on electric railways. Heretofore, so far as I am' aware, neither carbon nor any like non-metallic substance has been used in this connection. It has been used for the commutator brushes or rubbers of dynamoelectric machines; but such brushes or rubbers are essentially diiferent from the trolley of an electric railway, since neither they nor the commutator-surface against which they rub are exposed to the weather, like the trolleys and supply-wires of electric railways. Moreover, in the dynamo-electric machine the rubbers are repeatedly brought into contact with only a limited surface, whereas in the electric railway the supply-conductors may be miles in length. Furthenthe con-tact of carthe'invention is to pro-- binding'l in its receptacle.

displacement, while on the supply-wire.

embodying my iuvenof any construction and provided with suit able devices for forcing it upwardly against the trolley. B is the trolley-shoe, and consists of the upwardly-projecting side flanges or guards on and the box'or receptacle 0. A contact-block B is loosely fitted within receptacle O and rests upon an ellipticspring D, the latter serving to feed the contact-block as it is worn away upwardly against the conductor E.

Instead of employing the spring D, I may use'a spiral spring F and placeit in a cylindricalchamber G, depending from the receptacle O, as shown in Fig. 3;. or instead of using one spiral spring I may usetwo, as illustrated in Fig. '4, and thus secure an even pressure near the opposite ends of the contact-block, and thereby prevent the'latter from the contact-block of carbon, because this material is a good conductor, and when so made the blocks are of small initial cost, and also because it is not liable to rust or oxidation calculated toimpair the conductivity, and is otherwise advantageous,- ashereinbeforeIspecified. However, I may make these blocks either of carbon, or carbon and copper orother good electrical conduct ing material, or of any suitable metal'or'metallic compound.

' I prefer to make" highly jrefractory,

The wings or g-uardsof the trolley-shoe,

which embrace the supply-wire between them,

serve to'retain the trolley against accidental to its extended contact with the wire and its capacity for self-adjustment, insures a good contact with the wire and almost wholly obviates the sparking at the contact, which is so noticeable in systems employing a rolling trolley. The contact-block is fed upwardly the contact-block, owing against the conductor by its spring, and when sufliciently worn may be readily removed and replaced by a new block. v It is evidentthat many slight changes in 5 the construction and relative arrangement of parts might be resorted to Without departing from my invention, and hence 13 would have it understood that I do not restrict myself to the particular construct-ion and arrangement to of parts shownand described; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lettors Patent, is 1. The combination, with a trolley-shoe r constructed with a receptacle and a springin said receptacle, of a contact-block located ,in the receptacle and adapted to be pressed against a. trolley-wire by said spring, substantially as set forth. 2. The combination, with a trolley-shoe constructed with a receptacle and a spring in said receptacle, of a removable contact-block inserted loosely in the receptacle and adapted to be fed toward the trolley by said spring, 25 substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a trolley-shoe consisting of a receptacle and upwardly-pro jecting guards or flanges, of a contact-block, and a spring (one or more) for feeding the contact-block to compensate for wear, substantially as set forth.

4. A trolley or traveler provided with wings or guards for embracing the supplywire, and a separable contact or conducting block yieldingly supported between said.

wings or guards, substantially as described. 5. The combination, with a trolley-shoe having a receptacle therein, of a renewable block of carbonin said receptacle and adapted to bear against a trolley-wire, substantially asset forth.

- 6. The combination, with a sliding trolleyshoe having upwardly and outwardly flaring wings, of a selfradjustable and removable contact-block located between said flanges, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this,

specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIDNEY H. SHQRT.

Witnesses:

J. C. WILLIAMS,

E, H. MORRISON. 

